Anyone gone to the Alps by train?

[User482]

The best independent advice is at www.seat61.com

My own experience:

Les Arcs for a week's skiing. Eurostar to Paris, have dinner, cross town on the metro, get the sleeper to Bourg St Maurice. Dead easy as there's a funicular going directly to the resort - having left London on Friday evening, I was on the slopes Saturday morning. The pain is if you have your own skiing gear, as you have to change stations in Paris, meaning you have to lug it onto the Metro. You end up with nearly two extra days on the slopes compared to flying. Downside is you may be sharing a couchette with a farting, snoring Frenchman.
Annecy for a summer holiday. Very easy - went down during the day and was in Anncey in time for dinner. Lots of nice restaurants, swimming in the lake, mountain walking etc.
Corsica. Ok not the Alps! You take the TGV from Paris to Nice, then get a ferry the nexy morning. An exceptionally civilised way to arrive...

Regarding the TGV, if you try to book tickets the day they become available (3 or 4 months in advance) you can often get 1st class at a big discount. That means you sit on the top deck for the double decker trains, affording an excellent view of the Cote D'Azur whilst sipping a nice Beaujolais...

 

[Hover Fly]

Trouble is the first class is sometimes cheaper than second, so you get all sorts of noisy riff-raff in, even, on one occasion, a young family with two children.

 

[RhythMick]

Thanks all. I've booked. Eurostar to Paris, TGV to Annecy. Standard Premier was £5 per person each way, includes a meal and is First Class on the TGV.

Only tricky bit could be the RER Gare du Nord to Gare Lyons. Only 2 stops but seat61 has me worried that it's going to take nearly an hour. I have 50 minutes from Eurostar arrival to TGV leaving. Hope the Eurostar is on time. Then again seat61 recommends getting a 55 euro taxi so I wonder if there's some bias in there.

 

[Trickedem]

Tomorrow morning I'm going on Eurostar to Lille, then tgv to Aigle in Switzerland.
I will let you know how I get on, but hoping it is less hassle than flying b

 

[TVC]

From my brief visits to Paris, I can't see a Route D RER taking 50 minutes to do that, you could walk it in that time.

 

[TheDoctor]

Thanks all. I've booked. Eurostar to Paris, TGV to Annecy. Standard Premier was £5 per person each way, includes a meal and is First Class on the TGV.

Only tricky bit could be the RER Gare du Nord to Gare Lyons. Only 2 stops but seat61 has me worried that it's going to take nearly an hour. I have 50 minutes from Eurostar arrival to TGV leaving. Hope the Eurostar is on time. Then again seat61 recommends getting a 55 euro taxi so I wonder if there's some bias in there.

I did it in 35 mins, and we had to wait a bit for a train. If time is tight it's well worth having a metro ticket already about your person though. PM me your address and I'll send you a couple.

 

[User482]

See if you can find out which metro line and which platform you need. Will save a little time.

 

[TheDoctor]

RER line D, towards Melun / Malesherbes.
Come off the Eurostar platforms, turn left, and walk. Carry on walking.
It's right at the other end of the station.

 

[thom]

hmm, are you picking up a bike sent through as large luggage in Gare du Nord ?
Last time I did it, the pick up place is a 5 min schlepp with luggage. If you're with someone, it will be quicker to split up I imagine - to get to the pick up place, you exit the platform at the front of the train then turn right, go to the end of the line of platforms and turn right, following the tracks (on your right). You end up going to a separate building on the left near the end of where the platform would be.

 

[RhythMick]

I did it in 35 mins, and we had to wait a bit for a train. If time is tight it's well worth having a metro ticket already about your person though. PM me your address and I'll send you a couple.

Very much appreciate your help. Beer on me if we ride together.

I've rehearsed the route (seat61.com has a video right from getting off Eurostar to GdL). Looks ok as long as Eurostar not late.

 

[RhythMick]

I'm not taking bikes or skis. Will have one large wheeled case and backpacks.

I downloaded an app which will tell me which zone and platform the TGV leaves from in GdL. That should help.

 

[Trickedem]

Tomorrow morning I'm going on Eurostar to Lille, then tgv to Aigle in Switzerland.
I will let you know how I get on, but hoping it is less hassle than flying b

Well I can definitely recommend this. Left Ashford at 7.30am and was in Chatel in France before 5pm. The service was linked at Lille, so all we had to do was cross the platform.

 

[RhythMick]

Just hoping Eurostar isn't late to Paris. There's engineering work apparently.

I've been told we need to get our ticket endorsed by the Eurostar guards to prove it was late. That way we may be allows on a later TGV. Anyone have any experience of this?

 

[TheDoctor]

If Eurostar is running late, they announce it on the train and train staff come through to sort people out.
SNCF are much better about this sort of thing than UK train operators. I've had the value of a non-changeable, non-transferable, don't-even-think-about-a-refund ticket credited to the cost of a replacement when I missed a TGV before, and missing it was entirely down to my own incompetence. I got lost in Nice and ended up in Monaco!!!

 

[RhythMick]

Good to know thanks